Silent Captive
by vampyrknight
Summary: [Movie] Jessica Roarn meets one of New York's most famous villains, Doctor Octavius. She's not the only one that gets thrown for a loop as the supervillain finds himself in a very different situation from what he's used to. [Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1

Jessica sat upright in bed as the El train flew past her window, jarring her from her sleep. She looked around and, with the exception of the lights coming from the train cars; her apartment was perfectly dark as it bounced to the passing of the speeding train. She slid her feet out of the sheets and dragged her self to the bathroom. She flipped the switch and shielded her eyes as she squinted. The light flickered as she looked at her black, stringy hair that was knotted and messy. Stray pieces tickled her nose and poked her gray eyes. Reaching blindly she found her comb and pulled on her hair, and then set it behind her ears. She looked at her pale face, rubbing the cheeks, and bringing a little pink into them. She wasn't overweight by any measure as she looked at her exposed midriff and patted it lightly, sucking it in a little.

She readjusted the spaghetti straps on her tank top, pulling the top of the shirt up to conceal more of her skin. Jessica grabbed a tissue and felt the pressure release from her nasal cavities, and then threw it away. She stood up and turned quickly to walk out the door, and she ran straight into a soft, large mass. She fell backwards, nearly hitting her head on the toilet seat, and looked up. The mass turned out to be a man, one who smelled of cigars, and musk among other things. She detected hints of machine oil and burned circuitry as he filled her doorway. He was wearing a dark trench coat and a mob styled hat. Jessica pressed her self against the back wall as he stepped into the light, his lips moving.

"Please, don't hurt me." She signed in panic, curling up as he came closer. Her hands fluttered as she repeated the request and then realized he'd stopped advancing. His eyes gave him a tired, confused look when she came back to her senses. "I can't hear you." She pointed to her ear and mouthed the words, and the man took a step back, looking a bit dumbfounded until a mechanical claw poked out from beneath his coat and stared at Jessica with its red light. The man grew angry and the claw looked back to him, and seemed to cower a little, similar to a dog when it was scolded, and it disappeared into the folds of the coat. His lips moved again as he held his hand out, offering it to her. Jessica stared at his coat.

"Doctor Octopus?" She signed slowly, hoping that he might understand her message. His brows knitted in thought as he grabbed her wrist and helped her to her feet. He brought her to the kitchen table and put her into a seat. He rummaged through her drawers until he pulled out a notepad and a fine tipped marker. He set them on the table and sat down. Picking up the Sharpie, he uncapped it and looked at the notepad, noticing the Oscorp logo in the upper section. His eyes darted between it and Jessica, until he finally began to write.

"My name is Doctor Otto Octavius. I am sorry to intrude this late; I thought the apartment was unoccupied. I need a place to stay for the night. While I am here, I ask that you do not scream or try to get help. You will not be allowed to leave until after I do. After that time, you will be free to go on with your normal activities." Jessica watched as his handwriting sprawled across the paper neatly. He pulled the page off and handed it, the pad and the marker to Jessica. She picked it up nervously and watched her barely legible print form beneath his.

"My name is Jessica. As you can tell, I am deaf." She pushed the pad towards him, but snatched it away before he could finish reading it. " Just please don't hurt me or anything. I can't really call for help anyways." She pointed to the last statement and shrugged. She looked around while he was reading, and realized her window was open. She walked over and closed it; when she turned around she saw him looking at her closely. It made her feel uncomfortable and she wished she'd chosen a less revealing top to go with her sweatpants. Jessica crossed her arms over her chest and sat back down at the table. There was more writing on the tablet and the Oscorp logo was circled.

"Do you work here?" Was the message he'd scribed. She looked up and met his prying gaze, nodding her head in the affirmative. She grabbed the pen out of his hand and put it to the paper.

"What are you going to do?" She frowned as she pushed the paper at Octavius. The page was quickly pushed back with an answer.

"Sleep." Was the only reply. Annoyed, she put her hand up to her mouth in the sign for the letter "b" and then let her hand drop to her lap. Octavius narrowed his eyes and then pointed to her bed and then to her. She nodded, her body tensing with fright again, and walked stiffly over to it and climbed back in. Jess grabbed her alarm as he shifted on the couch and made sure that it was set. She turned onto her side and watched him raid her pantry, keeping a close eye on him. He ate for nearly an hour as she watched the minutes tick past until finally, with a slight grin on his face, he wobbled over to the couch. Octavius stood next to the couch and lowered himself until he flopped down onto his stomach, sprawled ingloriously. Jess fought exhaustion as she watched his back rise and fall rhythmically and his actuators lay around him motionless. The only time it was interrupted was when the train outside her apartment flew by. He stirred to the shaking of the apartment, but didn't wake.

The pulsing alarm buzzed against her head, jarring her from sleep. She hit the "off" button and rolled out of bed, signing curses at it. Dragging her feet past the couch where the doctor slept, she pulled a laptop out of a hidden bag and set it on the coffee table opposite him. She logged on and opened her e-mail, and part way through reading a letter from work, the screen was slammed down hard on her fingers. She imagined the noise she made had to be close to a yell since Octavius clamped his hand over her mouth roughly. He made a motion for her to be quite and a metal appendage snaked over and grabbed the pen and paper.

"What are you doing?" He looked at her sternly as he held the paper up. Jess grabbed it from him and wrote.

"Checking what I need to do when I go to work." She handed him the paper, and then opened the laptop and showed him the letter. She looked at her knuckles and realized that a few of them were bleeding slightly. She turned the laptop back towards her and finished the letter, with a claw hovering over her shoulder. She logged out and then shut the machine off, putting it back in its discrete corner. Holding her hands, she walked tiredly to the bathroom and took a shower. After she finished, she put her pajamas back on and dried her hands. The knuckles still bled so she pulled a box of bandages out and moved out to the kitchen and started to put the Band-Aids on her fingers. Octavius came over and picked up her untouched hand and looked at it closely. He looked sorry as he grabbed a few Band-Aids and finished dressing Jessica's hands.

Octavius stood up and opened her refrigerator, yawning as he looked inside. He brought back the only contents left, a nearly empty half gallon of milk, and a box of Pop-Tarts he'd confiscated from her cabinets. He pulled out the last package and set one of the two pastries on the table in front of Jessica as he ate his. Jessica nibbled hers as he shoved his into his mouth, washing it down with the remaining milk. He grabbed a napkin and wiped the crumbs from the stubble on his face, and donned his coat, letting the tentacles slide through the holed in the back first. One snaked over to the couch and picked up his hat, setting it on his head. He pinched the brim and ran his fingers along it until it was to his liking. Octavius walked to the window, opened it up and turned back to Jessica.

"Thanks." Though he said it, it was one of the few words she could lip-read. Jessica just stood still as she watched Octavius slide himself out of the window, disappearing into the city.


	2. Chapter 2

Jess walked over to the kitchen table and looked at the mess that Octavius had left and let out a breath through her nostrils as she put her hands on her hips.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." She thought as she threw away wrappers and spoiled items, thankful that nothing smelled horribly. When she finished wiping down the table, Jessica picked up her purse, opened it and dumped the contents onto the table. Spreading the items around she found her pager and wallet, leafing through the small bills and smiling as it was all still there. Jess pushed all the things off the table and back into her purse, pulling the zipper closed. She left it on the table, moved over to the windowsill and locked it in place. Feeling marginally unexposed, she went to the bathroom and put a towel over the slotted blinds before changing into her red shirt that was embroidered with "OSCORP Technician." Walking out, she grabbed her purse and at the door took her coat and keys off the hook before stepping out and locking her door. She took the stairs down to the street and held her coat around her. Usually a subway person, Jess put her hand in the air and hailed a cab. The yellow car pulled up and she leaned into the window, pointing to the OSCORP logo on her shirt. The man seemed to understand and she hopped into the back, relaxing as the car weaved dangerously through traffic, starting and stopping violently. When the cab finally arrived at Oscorp, Jess leaned forward to read the fare meter and shelled out the money, adding a small tip and handing it to the cabby who smiled and nodded. She returned the gesture and slid out of the seat, looking up at the glowing sign above her. She moved through the revolving door smoothly and signed in at the security desk. She followed an obscure hallway and waited for the elevator that would take her to the third floor of the building. It came and the door opened half way as Jess scooted in, hit the button and leaned against the back wall as the elevator lurched and moved up. The door opened slightly and she pushed it the rest of the way, walking down a lighter hall until she reached a door that seemed to glow from behind. She opened it and was assaulted by blazing, white lights and the strong presence of burned circuitry and dusty computers.

"Hey." She signed as she dropped her purse on her desk and sat down. She opened her e-mail and read the multitude of complaints and pleas, and also checked her notepad that was filled with post-its and memos from people whose computers had ceased to work or send e-mail. She let out a heavy breath and moved over to the workstation where the other technicians labored. Their lips moved as they talked to themselves, or to one another.

Throughout the day, Jess repaired computers and responded to panicked Oscorp employees who by now knew she was deaf, and were prepared with a written descriptions of what they were having problems with. The only frustration she experienced was someone who had decided to convert their CD tray into a cup holder for a rather flimsy Styrofoam cup. They had accidentally closed it, and now they had coffee inside of the CD drive and all over the outside and keyboard.

Around the time she'd figured it was nearing dark she looked at her pager and read 7:49 PM. She quickly signed "Late again" and grabbed her purse while waving to the people left in the room. Jessica rode the elevator back down and signed out, walking to the curb. She pulled a list out of her pocked and read it as she walked towards a small market that she frequented. It was nearly dusk out, but the city lights annoyingly hid the fact as she stepped inside, holding the door open for an older man in a long, tattered coat. With her nose on the page, she grabbed a hand basket and started to drop items into the blue plastic frame. She turned towards the front of the store and started to head to the cash register when she nearly dropped the basket, a heavy weight having fallen into it. Jessica looked down and saw what looked like a rather expensive bottle of wine, sitting on top of her now flat bread.

"Hey!" She voiced as she turned around and looked straight into a very familiar pair of eyes. The tattered coat and fedora were almost unnecessary as she stared into his face, partially concealed by the upturned collar. The man narrowed his eyes at her and held his finger to his lips, motioning for her to not voice. He steered her roughly to the cashier and stood to the side as she set the items on the counter, her hands shaking. The cashier scanned the wine last, and it rang up to $80. Jessica's eyes widened and she spun on her heel to face the man behind her.

"Are you crazy?" She signed to him. "I don't have that much on me!" He kept his eyes on her as she turned to the clerk and pretended to write on her hand. The man whipped out a pad and pen, handing them to her. She wrote furiously on it and held it to the face behind her.

"I can't afford the wine." He read it and then set the pad on the counter. The clerk read it and took the bottle out and set it to the side. Jess took her money out of her wallet and was ready to hand it to him when she decided to look over her shoulder, and straight into two red, glowing mechanical lenses. Octavius shook his head in a negative manner and she put her money on the surface behind her. She turned back and saw the clerk had hidden under the register. She leaned over and handed him her money, nearly falling over the counter. Jessica picked up her groceries and walked past Octavius, leaving the wine on the counter. She was almost to the door when a police car pulled in, lights cutting through the night air. She froze and looked to Octavius, who was glaring at the car, and then moved his focused stare to her. He seemed to scan her from the corner of his eyes, staring at her feet as he went up to the top of her head, and then met her eyes again. Jessica pulled her bags to her body, taking half a step away from him. He glanced back to the car and Jessica looked too as the officers jumped out and pointed their guns at Octavius and her. Jess looked back over to him and saw a tentacle moving towards her when he turned to face her.

"No." She mouthed, and felt her feet leave the ground as she was pulled in front of the doctor by a cold metal claw.


	3. Chapter 3

The officers took two steps back as Jessica was pulled in front of Octavius. They started to speak but ducked behind the car doors, masking their mouths. Jess squirmed, trying to look back at Otto when she felt his weight shift and they moved out of the store and up the side of a building, Jessica with a death grip on her grocery bag. He ran along and caught a ride on the top of a train, jumping off at a window and hanging onto the side of a building. The actuators easily snapped the latch, and opened the window, dumping her through before following with Otto, throwing the sill and shade closed. Jess sat up and leaned against the wall, staring through the other side of the apartment. She managed to let go of the bag after a few minutes and slowly moved her hands.

"Where are…" She signed when she took a second look and realized she was home. Her eyes darted around and she looked up at Otto. A pad of paper came flying at her and she let it land on the floor next to her.

"Don't put anything away; grab some clothes, money and any extra food. If you need anything else, get it. We're not staying here." She looked at him, wide-eyed.

"I'm a hostage?" She wrote and handed the paper to an actuator. He read it and looked back at her and motioned for her to go to her room as he scribbled and then held up the pad as she walked by.

"Pack light." She nodded sullenly as he moved to the couch, the actuators taking out her laptop and handing it to Otto. He made sure everything was in the bag as he leaned back, relaxing.

**_Why do you continue to speak through written word? Why don't you just speak to her? _**Otto was surprised it had taken them as long as it had to ask him about her. **_And why does she move her hands around all the time? _**

_Because she's deaf. _

_**Deaf? **_

_She can't hear._

**_Oh._** They curled around idly, mulling over this new fact. **_Is this deaf a defect or a malfunction? _**Otto set the laptop on the table and then sank back into the couch.

_To us who can hear, it seems like it. But to her, it's probably all she knows. I doubt she's heard much of anything during her life, but she gets along quite well from the looks of it. She landed a job at OSCORP after all._ Otto twiddled the notepad in a claw.

_**Interesting. **_

_Indeed._ He waited patiently, studying the room, and looking for anything of interest or intrigue. _How long has it been?_

**_Ten minutes._** Otto scowled and walked over to her room, opening the door.

Jessica saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head, looking at Otto. She was halfway out of the window, a foot on the ledge just outside. An actuator streaked toward her and she tried to duck out of the window, but instead hit her head on the sill, knocking herself out.

Jess opened her eyes, her head throbbing and realized she'd been gagged, but only her legs had been chained to a metal I-beam supporting whatever building she was in. The gag, as her hands found, had been tightly knotted, and then doubled up with zip ties. Otto came from behind her, towering over her as she scooted up against the support. The claws looked at her, the centers glowing a blood-like color. He held out a notepad to her.

"Your hands will remain free as long as you need them to communicate." Jessica simply glared at Otto, and he returned the look, intensified. "You have been unconscious for two days. The city is being quite difficult about your ransom. I'm hoping you have material from OSCORP on your laptop that will garner some attention. What is the password?" Jessica crossed her arms defiantly, wrinkling her nose at him. He rolled his eyes and set the pad and pencil at her feet, walking away. Once he was out of sight, she reached behind her and started pulling and tugging at the gag, until she realized something else was on the back of her neck. Jess traced it deftly with her finger tips, along her spine from her hairline down to between her shoulder blades. The cold metal tingling her digits, and for the first time, she heard herself scream.


	4. Chapter 4

Jessica's muffled screams barely reached Otto in an adjacent room in his chair, as his actuators worked away at cracking her password. She carried on, the chains securing her legs rattling loudly as she pulled on them, and the gag. Jess traced the metal thing running along her spine, unable to find a spot to grab onto. She picked and pried, trying to get it off but it was secured tightly to her back. She struggled for at least twenty more minutes before lying on the cold floor, curling up as she started to cry. There was a deep murmuring behind her and a shadow fell on her face. She looked up at the figure, tears coursing from her eyes. Her head spun as each little sound overloaded her mind, giving her a strong headache. Even the sound of her own breathing was thunderous as she curled into a smaller and smaller form on the floor.

"Can you hear my voice?" Otto said deeply. The woman on the floor sobbed and held her hands over her ears. Otto frowned and walked away, going over to a telephone which was connected to a computer. The actuators quickly resumed working on Jess's laptop as Otto sat down.

**_She is reacting poorly to the modification._** Otto leaned back in his chair, idly watching the streaming video of the reports about his hostage. They replayed his phone call and he smiled at the commanding tone of his voice.

_She does seem a bit traumatized by the new sense. I don't know if she's just frightened of the fact that she's a hostage, or if she can't handle it. I do hope she recovers quickly, then I can do some video to prove to the police I do have a captive._

**_Yes, they seem rather hesitant to believe you in that matter. It will however be interesting to see if she understands spoken word._**

_True, but for now, we need to make sure we are quiet and take care of her, to keep her from going into shock._ He heard Jess whimper from the other room and stood up. An actuator grabbed a blanket and an overstuffed duffle bag, bringing it with Otto.

"What did you do to me?" She signed to Otto as he walked up to her. He stood a short distance away, and crossed his arms. She picked up the paper and repeated her question.

"I gave you back your hearing." Otto spoke, and Jess clapped her hands over her ears. He wrote it down and handed it to her. She read it, and her face paled. She ran her hand along the thing on her back again, and Otto nodded, tapping his spinal connection. Jess looked at Otto, snarling as she wrote.

"I never 'lost' it in the first place. I was born deaf. Take it off." She chucked the pad at him, hard, and Otto curled his lip at her and then read it.

"I don't intend to let such a monumental experiment go to waste, so it's staying on you until I say so, or the ransom is paid." He spoke as he handed the paper to Jess. She winced as he talked, but didn't cower from Otto's voice.

"I don't want it. And I'm not some lab rat. So take it off." She gave him back the pad and crossed her arms, glaring at him. Otto rubbed his temples and walked off, leaving the bag and blanket. Jess immediately spread the fleece so she wasn't sitting on the floor and opened the bag, finding random clothing from her drawers balled up inside. She took the clothes out, folded them neatly and put them back inside. She sighed, but startled herself with the noise. Jess closed the bag, zipping it as quietly as possible and laid down on the fleece, using the bag as a pillow. She wished she could at least change the cloth being used as a gag; it was starting to get gross. Trying to take her mind off of things, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the new sounds, trying to figure out what came from what.


	5. Chapter 5

Jess woke up to the dark, cold room and sat up, briefly forgetting where she was. She stood up and took two steps, feeling something yank on her ankles. She yelped and then remembered she was chained. She also noticed her vocalization sounded sharper and realized her gag was gone. The light in the room clicked on, blinding her briefly. She looked up once the spots cleared and saw Doctor Octavius.

"How goes my ransom?" She signed.

"What?" Otto's face made up for Jess's inability to decipher the sounds he made. She handed herself the notepad with her toes and wrote on it. She gave it to him and he shrugged. He scrawled and handed it back to her.

"I want you to try speaking. At least simple words to start with. If you adapt before they send the money, I might let you keep your new sense." Jess starred at the paper and then looked up at him.

"Me? Hear?" She spoke, her voice airy and high pitched. She wrote back to him. "There are conditions of course."

"Yes." He spoke clearly and nodded.

"No, thank you." Jess forced the words, trying to lower her voice. Instead they came out screechy. Otto pointed to his throat and then to Jess. She looked at him slightly confused, so she handed him the pad.

"Try speaking more from your throat." He gave it to her and then walked out of the room. He returned a few minutes later, looking a touch irritated and holding a camera and tripod. "They don't think I have a hostage. I need to convince them that I do. Just tell them your name and that you are with me. You can add what you think of your treatment, but tell them nothing about being able to hear." The pad was handed back to her as he walked out and returned with a chair. Jess sat herself in it and Otto turned on the camera. She listened to his voice, trying to imagine what he was saying, when he stepped to the side and she looked into the red blinking light, and began to sign.

"My name is Jessica Roarn." She spelled her name slowly. "I am being taken care of by Doctor Octopus. I would like to go home." She set her hands in her lap while he blocked the camera from her view again. When he moved, it was turned off and he took the camera back into the other room. In the relative silence, she heard a strange noise, and felt her stomach protest. She looked around, trying to find Octavius by looking around the corner, but couldn't see him. She sighed and heard her stomach again.

"Hungry!" She tried to shout, but to Otto it sounded more like 'henry'. He e-mailed the video to the news stations and then walked back in, hearing her stomach grumble loudly.

"Hun-gry" He emphasized the 'g' but Jess just shrugged.

"Whatever." She signed back to him as he walked back out. He returned ten minutes later with a TV dinner and a glass of water. "Thank you." She signed and spoke, taking the tray. She sat on the floor and ate heartily while Otto put away the chair. After she finished, she sat back and looked at the empty plate. She found the notepad and then waited for Octavius to return. "Can you turn it off; it's giving me a migraine." He looked at her oddly. "Please?" She spoke, and he walked behind her, and she felt something push on a spot she couldn't reach, between her shoulder blades. The sounds faded away as Otto walked off into the other room. Jess's brain buzzed with the lack of extra stimuli, but it helped sooth her headache. She also felt more secure, knowing what to expect again. Jessica fluffed up the duffle bag and laid her head on it and closed her eyes, in the hopes that when she woke up, the city would have paid her ransom, and she could go back home to a hopefully normal life again.


	6. Chapter 6

Jess was contently asleep until something pressed on her back and her head buzzed with activity, jolting her awake. She sat up, her arm instinctively reaching out and latching onto what had just touched her, grabbing metal. The links pulled together, pinching her fingers. She yipped, holding the injured hand to her chest. The light clicked on and she looked up at a very infuriated Octavius. His face was red and gathered up in a permanent snarl as he bellowed about something. She didn't need words; his body language spoke for itself as he limped over to her shackles and detached them from their mooring. She assumed the sounds he spat periodically were curses as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room, the chains rattling loudly, making her wince. The metal yanked on her ankles, causing her to trip as they stormed into a lab. She froze, yanking her arm out of Octavius's grip, and stopping solidly where she was. She started to shake her head 'no' just before launching into a flurry of signs.

"No more. I don't like this thing on my back. I won't put up with any more experiments." She spelled out a few choice names aimed at Otto she hoped he wouldn't figure out. "Take this off of my back. I want to go home, now!" Before she could stop herself, she punctuated her final demand with a very universal sign, shoving her middle finger into the air between her and Octavius. They both stood there, Otto's face darkening as Jess stared at her own hand, hardly believing she'd just flipped off an already angry Doctor Octopus. Sooner than she could put away the offending finger, he had grabbed onto it, and was using it as a lever. The pain shot through her body as he lowered her to her knees. She cried as he leaned over and whispered something into her ear. Her instinct telling her the tone was not a friendly one. He let go, and the pain subsided enough for Jess to stand up, nursing the hand. With tears running down her face, she followed Octavius over to a low metal table, where he had her sit down. A notepad was handed to her and she read it while keeping watch on Octavius.

"They didn't pay the ransom. Instead, the bug was waiting for me, expecting that I'd bring you along. Apparently the city has no care for you. So you are either going to give me access to Oscorp's network, or I will continue my experiments on you until the city does decide to make an attempt to get you released. Considering your apparent expendability, you should also think about watching your language." Jess finished, staring at the paper as Doctor Octopus moved about the lab, grabbing surgical tools and other things she barely paid notice to. The pad fell from her fingers to the floor, making Octavius pause and look over his shoulder at her. She stared at her empty hand, hardly noticing the small pressure on her back and the ensuing lack of sound. An actuator set the pad on the table next to her along with a pen, then returned to helping Otto prepare. A small whimper brought his attention back to her and the notepad in her hand.

"What happens when I'm no longer useful to me?" She'd sketched a skull and crossbones with a question mark next to it.

"If you prove useful, and capable, I will put you to work on some computer maintenance I rarely have the time for." It was a strangely generous offer, but if it allowed him more time to do less mundane tasks, she might be worth keeping.

_With the abandonment of the city, she should be more likely stay. I also doubt Oscorp would take her back if they knew their network might have been compromised because of her, and also simply through affiliation with me._

**_What if we made it so she would be guaranteed to compromise her job at Oscorp? Her presence would give us more time to focus on the important tasks._**

_And if all else fails, I can threaten to compromise Oscorp for the ransom instead._ Octavius handed the pad over to Jess, her face growing confused.

"I'd stay? I'd work on your computers?" She scribbled back.

"Yes, though I will still work on your hearing."

"I hate hearing. That seems hardly fair."

"I didn't say it would be." He glared at her when an actuator moved over and took off the shackles. Jess swung her feet, rolling her ankles in the air. "Don't try to escape. The device on you also doubles as a shock collar of sorts. You get too far from me and it will fire." Upon reading the page, Jessica's hand ran along the back of hr neck. Octavius walked off and returned with her laptop.

"I'm a prisoner." The paper had written, complete with a frowning face. He handed her the laptop and wrote on the page.

"Log on and check your Oscorp e-mail. I want to know how they've reacted to this." Jess nodded and logged on, opening her e-mail. There was one new message.

"_Dear Miss Roarn, _

_Due to recent events, you have been temporarily suspended until further notice. Upon return, your position will be returned pending investigation."_ Jess smiled until something went off in her head, her eyes dimming as she quickly logged out. She opened Notepad and typed rapidly.

"They'll track the IP. The fact that I checked my e-mail from a new address just sealed my fate…" She paused, looking over at Octavius. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" She scowled as he shrugged and went back to organizing the items on the counter. She signed a couple choice words at his back, until he turned around, holding a capped syringe in his hand. She nearly dropped her laptop as she jumped off of the table. Jessica ran two steps before her legs gave out, a shock running the length of her spine. The notepad landed on the floor next to her and she looked over at it.

"I'm going to fix the spinal tap. It will bother you less after this." Jess cowered against a desk as Octavius squatted and uncapped the needle, tapping it before pushing the plunger just enough to clear the air out. He held Jess's arm with an actuator and a hand while administering the sedative. A silent tear ran down her cheek as Otto helped her up and brought her back to the table where he set her down on her stomach. Jessica's eyes drooped as she fought the anesthetic, but eventually she gave in, her breath shallow, as the world closed in on her.


	7. Chapter 7

Jessica opened her eyes, rubbing them clear until she could see in the dimly lit room. She sat up, feeling the ground spring under her, and she realized she'd been put on a mattress which had been shoved against a wall and covered with the fleece blanket. She noticed her door was closed and quickly changed her clothes, smoothing the wrinkles out of her shirt as best she could. She checked her ankles, still free from the shackles and stood up, walking over to the door. She tried to turn the handle, and finding it locked, knocked on the wood. She hoped Octavius was in a better mood compared to however long ago he'd put her under. At the thought, she turned around and ran her fingers along the metal on her back, realizing it was remarkably thin, and now quite unobtrusive. While she marveled at the change, the door unlocked and opened. Otto stared from the doorway as she deftly traced the top quarter of the spinal tap, and then realized the door was open and turned to face him. Her face was set as neutral as possible, waiting to see what mood he was in.

_She is afraid of me…us._

**_Fear can mean a healthy respect._** Otto turned on his heel and led her to a table with a bowl of cereal, and a jug of milk. She sat down, signing her thanks and ate quickly while he worked on something. She finished and looked over at him, his complete concentration on the page before him. She washed out her dish and put away the milk that she recognized as hers. She set the clean dish and spoon on the counter and looked over Octavius's shoulder. He curled over it, blocking his work from her view. She shrugged to herself and found her own pad of paper. She dropped it on the table and sat down, poising the pen over the page before writing.

"Still no ransom?" He glanced at the pad that had been set on top of his work and shook his head 'no.' "What are you working on?"

"Nothing of your concern."

"Sure, whatever you say, doc." She signed and then leaned back in her chair. He hunched back over the notepad briefly before sliding it to her.

"How does it feel?"

"Not as annoying." She gave it back, looking around the room idly.

"Since you have nothing better to do, go into the other room. There's a computer in there that needs some attention. You should have everything there that you need." Jess looked at him, confused, but stood up and wandered into the lab, a tower, monitor and keyboard sitting in the middle of the floor and some tools on a nearby counter.

_If it keeps me alive…_ She sat down and began to assess the problem.

**_Seven minutes._** An actuator curled back to Otto from the doorway it had been watching Jessica from.

_Already? Then it seems she may have earned her job at Oscorp._ He folded up the blueprint and walked into the room, coming up behind her. She was closing the side of the tower and screwing the side back on. She felt his footsteps and looked up at him from the floor, smiling nervously.

"Done." She signed and he nodded, picking up the machine with his actuators and putting it back into its place.

"Thank you." She saw him say. He was about to leave when she tapped his arm and he did an about face.

"Thank you." She signed to him, and though the device on her back wasn't turned on, she hoped she voiced it clearly. He pinched his brows together and scowled, walking off.

_It was worth a try._ She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly as she walked around the corner of his lab, being careful to not disturb anything. Even though she wasn't a physicist, she could at least think she appreciated the intelligence it took to understand the masses of books laying around, filled with notes and the scattered papers of equations. She avoided the rest of the lab, especially the corner that the metal table occupied, and eventually made her way back to her room. She flopped down on her mattress and stared at the ceiling, letting herself doze.

Jess awoke to Octavius tapping her shoulder, a camera and tripod set up with a stool this time. He was still limping slightly as she sat down and he handed her the notepad.

"Reintroduce yourself. Tell them you are okay, and that I have been using you in an experiment, but don't reveal what has been done to you. If the ransom is not paid by the city or Oscorp, then the testing will continue until someone yields." Jess's heart skipped a beat as she pulled the pen from the spiral.

"You mean, until they pay or I die? You're going to kill me?" He read it and shook his head in the negative.

"The experiments will continue until they pay or I get the results I want."

"What are the results you want?" She saw she had pushed his patience far enough as he dropped the notebook on the floor, implying she didn't need a reply. She looked back to the camera as he moved over and turned it on. He stood near her as she felt his voice boom and then it stopped as he faced her. She took her cue.

"My name is Jessica Roarn." Her hands started to shake, so she took a breath before continuing. "Because you did not pay Doctor Octopus, he has begun to use me as a test subject. He has informed me that the experiments will continue until the ransom is paid. He doesn't care if the city or Oscorp pays, as long as he gets his money." Her signing had been a bit sloppy, but it was more than clear enough to be translated. His voice made the room vibrate when she finally found out why he'd set up a stool. He spun her in place by her shoulders and pushed down the back of her shirt and held her hair back as he showed the spinal tap to the camera. Jess grabbed his arm, trying to release her neck from his vice grip, when he let go, walking over and turning off the camera. He looked satisfied as Jess narrowed her eyes at him. He ignored the look, taking his camera and the stool with him to his lab. Jessica grabbed the notepad and followed Octavius to his lab.

"You could have warned me you were going to do that." The pad landed in his lap as the video transferred to his computer. He handed the pad back to her and pulled up an empty document.

"You didn't need to know. Besides, it will help with the effect of getting people to react, and send the money so that I can release you."

"You didn't need to grab me so hard. And what happened to me being your pet guinea pig? Change of heart?" She wrote on the pad. She watched him quickly crop off the parts of the video where he turned the camera on and off and then sent the raw footage to the e-mails of a number of news stations and the police.

"We'll be on the six o'clock news. If you want, I'll let you watch it with me. I'm curious as to how the city will react to this 'new' development." She sighed through her nose and scowled. "Frankly, I'm surprised that they haven't come after me yet, or sent the money. They usually respond rather quickly to kidnappings." The cursor blinked in place for a few seconds. "Do you have any family in New York?" Jess frowned, taking her hands one palm up, the other down, and then flipping them over, and then making a cross on her shoulder. Otto mimicked her look, except with a touch of confusion. "That explains the lack of response then. Once the family gets word, the city usually responds quickly. Where are your parents?" She repeated the actions, and then rooled her eyes, taking over the keyboard.

"Dead and in the hospital." His eyes lit up, realization dawning.

"Oh."

"You should learn ASL. This would make things easier." She signed at him and then walked off to her room. She moved her mattress to a corner, making the bare room as comfortable as she could and then relaxed on the bed, taking in everything that had happened so far.

_I still can't believe they didn't pay my ransom. Why? _She tried to push possibilities out of her mind until a few hours later, her door opened again and Octavius walked in. She sat up and knew; the news was on. She was half tempted to stay, but she wanted to see what would happen. She stood up and followed him to a room she hadn't been in before, one that was nicely furnished, almost like he'd taken a living room and dumped it in the middle of an abandoned building. She sat down on the couch as he stood behind it, turning on the TV, and then setting up the captions. He turned to channel 2 and waited through the commercials.

"Tonight on Channel Two News, Doctor Octopus continues to hold a disabled woman hostage, targeting both Oscorp and the city to pay a ransom of fifty million dollars for her safe return." Jessica sat dumbfounded for a minute and then signed wildly at the TV.

"I am NOT disabled! I'm deaf." The screen popped to the image of the chief of police, flanked by the mayor and Harry Osborn at a press meeting.

"Right now, we are still deliberating as to what should be done about the hostage situation."

"Chief! What is your opinion of Doctor Octopus taking this specific hostage?"

"We don't know if he purposely targeted this woman or not, but we do understand from the footage that has been reviewed by our investigators, that he has in fact done bodily harm to her."

"Chief!" The man pointed to a reporter. "Is it true that the device on her back is for mind control?"

"We have not yet figured out what the device on the back of her neck is for. We don't believe it is meant as a sort of mind control." The hands rose up again but he stilled them with a motion of his hand. "We do not intend to let any more harm come to Miss Roarn. My entire department is on top of this situation, and Mr. Osborn and the Mayor back us 100 percent. We will bring her safely home to her family." The three men walked off stage as the image zoomed out and then was replaced by the reporter at the desk in the studio. Jessica stood up and walked off to the kitchen, sitting down at the table and dropped her head onto the surface.

_Fifty million dollars. Who would pay that for a me?_ Otto sat down lazily in the chair across the table from her, pushing the notepad over to her side. She took the pen and scribbled half heartedly.

"I am NOT disabled. And they already missed the first deadline. When is the second time set?"

"Tomorrow night."

"And if they miss that one?" Octavius looked down at the paper, scratching his arm as he looked at the page.

_What DO we do if they don't make the second deadline? I'm not killing her. And I just can't let her go._

**_Why can't we kill her? She's our hostage, and we must prove a point._**

_As much of a point that proves, I don't think killing her would win me brownie points with New York. I'll just…need to think of something else._

**_Attack Oscorp using her laptop. That will get attention._**

_That would certainly work._ He realized Jess was growing nervous at his lack of response.

"I'll be taking a different approach." She shook her head and started signing, but he interrupted her. "I'm not going to kill you. It's bad policy." She didn't seem to find much humor in his remark, but she smiled faintly, nodding. "For now, since I won't have you sitting around idle the whole evening, I have a list of things I need you to do in my lab." She nodded again, mimicking the motion with her fist. He brought her to his lab and handed her a printed sheet with a list of tasks, and the locations of the computers. Once he made sure she knew what to do, he walked off to another part of the lab, leaving her to the company of the computers around her.


	8. Chapter 8

Jess was almost thankful for the list of tasks as she worked, what she assumed, was through the night. She woke up to Octavius tapping her shoulder, her head resting on a tower next to her. He turned on the unit and her head rang loudly.

_I hope that's not what an alarm feels like._

"Good Afternoon." Otto spoke and handed her the notepad. Jess replied by signing the same back to him. "Tonight you'll be coming with me to the ransom location. They don't trust me so we need to swap." She read the paper and nodded.

"Sorry I didn't finish." She signed, but he pointed to the pad so she wrote.

"No problem." He handed the pad back to her and walked off. Stretching her legs, Jess stood up and went to the kitchen area, helping herself to her own food. After she cleaned the dishes, she changed and then returned to the lab. She worked on the rest of his computers until she heard his footsteps behind her and turned around.

"Time to go?" She voiced 'go' and stood up. She started towards her room but Octavius stopped her, speaking as she read his note.

"No luggage in case they don't pay. If they do, I'll get it back to you." She nodded again as he showed her a piece of cloth and a short rope. He motioned for her to turn around, and he turned off the unit. She faced him, as he tied her hands and then blindfolded her. She stood still, trying to keep herself from shaking when she suddenly felt her stomach jump as she was picked up and cradled in the man's arms. She felt him moving around and then she smelled the cool, outside air. Her hair whipped her face and her stomach did flips as he moved to their destination. Eventually, he slowed down and she felt his voice. She was set down gently and the blind was removed. They were on top of a building, overlooking Central Park. Her hands squirmed in the ropes, trying to sign, but she stopped herself as she felt the rope dig into her skin. The wind was chilly as she held her arms close to her body.

Octavius scanned all directions around them when suddenly something wet and sticky wrapped around her. Jessica went flying backwards, right into the arms of the city superhero. Octavius saw Spiderman and snarled as he charged at him. Spiderman quickly lowered Jessica on a thin strand and barely managed to dodge the incoming actuator. A swarm of officers ran around Jess, whisking her off before she could watch the battle. They wrapped a blanket around her and pushed her towards an ambulance as cameras flashed and a crowd gathered. Someone shoved her into the ambulance and she buckled up as the vehicle started to lumber through the crowds, and traffic towards, she presumed, the hospital. Her assumption was correct as the blanket was folded over her head before she was shuttled up to a private room. A nurse stayed with her as people rushed in and out, checking her pulse, trying to comfort her. Jess watched passively as everyone walked in and out, keeping a constant eye on her when they brought in a paper dress and the nurse motioned for her to get changed. She shrugged, going into the bathroom and putting it on. When she walked back out, her clothes were taken from her and she was left to herself, with the exception of the two officers across the hall, looking in on her as she sat on the bed.

About twenty minutes later, two investigators and a female doctor walked in, followed by a man that she recognized as the interpreter she had befriended, and used for her interview at Oscorp.

"Tom!" Her eyes lit up and they hugged before he moved over next to an officer and waited for them to start.

"This is Captain Jones and Lieutenant Thompson. Doctor Meyer will be in charge of taking care of you for now." She watched Tom's signing closely, making sure not to miss a word. "They will need to question you, and also they need to give you a physical, considering what's happened." Jess nodded and Doctor Meyer moved over and sat down on the bed next to her, but Jess kept her eyes on Tom.

"We have a hospital councilor on call if you need them. For now, we need to find out what happened, and I'll need to make sure he didn't leave any permanent damage." At the thought, Jess's hand flew up to her neck and she felt the metal there.

_He, never removed it… _The doctor jumped and parted the back of her gown, her fingers tracing the skin around it.

"Tom?" She waited for him, his hands hanging in the air as the two officers walked around behind the bed. She turned enough to look over her shoulder at them, and wished she hadn't. She quickly turned her head to face Tom again, swallowing the lump in her throat. She felt the doctor's hands run along the upper half of the metal, and paused at the spot in the middle of her shoulder blades.

"What does the button do?"

"It…turns it on." She was glad she couldn't actually see their faces, and their reactions.

"What does it do when it's on?"

"It makes me hear." She looked back at the doctor who had an incredulous face. Tom moved so she could look at the people behind her, and also see him. Doctor Meyer nodded and then closed up the back of the gown.

"We'll be back later to ask you about what happened with Doctor Octavius, Miss Roarn. Until then, please rest." The officers shook her hand and then left.

"So, I need a physical?" The doctor nodded and then began to explain what she needed to do.

Jess sat back down on her bed, tired after the full days of tests and constant questions. She seemed to frustrate the investigators with the fact that she didn't know where Octavius was hiding out, though she had reiterated that she had either been blindfolded or stuck in her room. They eventually accepted her story and left, allowing the doctors to finish their x-rays and scans of her back, and the device that Octavius had left on her. Now she had a chance to actually relax as she flopped backwards onto the bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tom walk in, and she waved.

"You look tired."

"As do you." He returned her exhausted smile.

"You've been a real help today, Tom. Thanks."

"Anytime."

"But." She paused and gave him a chiding look. "You should go home and rest. They'll probably be back tomorrow, and then, I imagine a press conference will be happening soon." Tom nodded and then walked over as Jess sat up in bed. She gave him a hug and he walked over to the door.

"Sleep well, J." She smiled at the nickname as he waved and then walked off. Jessica crawled in under the covers and closed her eyes, feeling her body sink into the bed. She turned over and looked out at the open door, and saw Doctor Meyer looking in at her. Jess beckoned her to come in, and sat up.

"Sorry, didn't mean to keep you up." The doctor wrote on her notepad and handed it to Jess.

"No worry. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to check how the device on your back was doing. Does it hurt?"

"No. In fact, I hardly notice it. By the way, have any results come back on how to get it off?" Jessica handed the pad back to the woman, and her face suddenly lost some of its color. The pen was poised above the pad, but it made no marks as Doctor Meyer decided how to reply.

"Yes, but I think we should wait until tomorrow so I can have a couple other doctors here."

"Please, just tell me now. I'd rather know, than wait."

"I really think…" Jess put one hand on the doctor's wrist, stopping her writing and signed 'now' to her forcefully. Doctor Meyer took a visible heave, and then hid the pad as she started to write. After a few tense minutes, she stood up and sat on the edge of the bed next to Jessica. She handed her the paper tentatively, and waited until she had read it.

"No." Jessica shook her head, and hoped she'd voiced it clearly. She kept shaking her head as Dr. Meyer put an arm around her shoulder.

_Why would he do it like that?_ She kept shaking her head, and hoping she had misread the page, skimmed it over to the last sentence. _Why did he have to make it permanent?_ Jess looked over at the doctor and took a steadying breath.

"Thank you." She signed, holding herself upright, and gave the notepad back to the doctor.

"You'll be okay?" Jess nodded. "If you need anything, I'm on call. Just get the nurse and tell her you need me." Dr. Meyer gave her a light hug and walked out of the room hesitantly, turning to look at Jessica from the door.

"You're sure?" She voiced. Jessica read her lips and nodded again.

"Good evening, Doctor." She signed and the woman left. She flopped backwards onto the bed and heaved as she stared at the ceiling through blurry eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

In the darkness, Jess straightened her hair and put a large brown clip in it, to hold it in place. Smiling, she turned to Tom who was watching her idly.

"How do I look?"

"Beautiful." He grinned and Jess felt a small blush creep across her face as she turned and looked across the bright stage, into the wing on the opposite side. Three figures waited impatiently, their forms no more than shadows until an unknown signal passed between them and they stepped out into the lights. Instantly camera flashes seemed to overpower the spotlights as the Mayor, followed by the Chief of Police and Harry Osborn, walked onto the stage. The two men flanked the mayor as he took the podium, looking out over the crowd. Jess brought her attention back to Tom, who was listening to the speech and translating it for her.

"I'd like to extend my thanks to our stellar police department and their chief who made possible Miss Roarn's safe return. Through their brave actions, we are able to have her with us today." Jessica looked back out at the stage, seeing the mayor beckon her to come out. She took a breath and walked into the bright lights followed closely by Tom. She felt blinded by the nearly continuous flashing of cameras as she shook the chief's hand and then was grabbed up by both Osborn and the Mayor in large hugs. She cracked a half-hearted smile at the staged affection, as they continued to ham it up for the next few minutes, until at last they let Tom up to the podium and Jessica moved next to him. She stood still for a moment, looking out over the crowd of reporters with poised pens and flashing cameras. She glanced back at Tom, who nodded at her, letting her know he was ready whenever she was.

"Thank you **everyone** that made my return possible. It's nice to finally go home and hopefully, return to Oscorp to continue working for Mr. Osborn." She looked over her shoulder, smiling at Harry, who simply stared ahead into the crowd, giving her only a brief side glance. She looked back at Tom and signed her thanks to everyone in the room. Suddenly, hands shot up and Tom was shoved from the podium as the Mayor took the microphone and spoke briefly before Tom led Jessica off stage.

"What was that about?" She quizzed him once he stopped escorting her offstage.

"Reporters being nosey. The Mayor just thanked them and said you probably wanted to go home now."

"Okay…" She shrugged and let him lead her out of the backstage to a hallway where a few police officers stood like statues in the dim light. One of them moved from his place and approached her. His lips moved and he turned, motioning down the hallway to a door at the end with a bright EXIT sign over it.

"Please come this way, we have an escort waiting to bring you home." Tom finished translating and Jessica followed at Tom's heels as he led her out of the door and into an alleyway. There, a dark green car and a few men dressed in business suits stood, waiting for her and Tom with the door open. She nodded and scooted inside behind Tom. The door closed and the driver pulled out into the thick traffic, heading towards Jess's apartment. Tom waved his hand at her for a second before she snapped out of a light daze.

"Are you glad to be going home?" She smiled at him, and his idle chat.

"Yes. First thing, I'm taking a shower. And I'm starving…" She suddenly remembered Octavius had taken all of her food and she let out a frustrated breath.

"What?" Tom shot her a confused look.

"I don't have any food at my apartment. I was shopping when he kidnapped me, remember?" Tom nodded, recalling her account of her kidnapping. Though Jessica had been truthful for nearly the whole account, she had omitted the fact that Octavius had been to her apartment. Even Tom didn't know. She stared out the window, thinking again about how she was still worried, however glad that she wouldn't need to have any overbearing officers watching her. She could take care of herself; she'd just make sure her windows were locked from now on. It would also draw less attention to her, something she knew would get in the way of her routine, and her job. Jess felt Tom tap her shoulder and she set her head in her hand and looked over at him.

"We can stop for something, and then you can go shopping tomorrow. Does that work for you?" Jessica nodded her fist and watched Tom sign as he talked to the driver. He had to fight a little, but eventually the driver nodded into his rear view mirror and pulled up to the curb at the first Burger King he saw. Tom quickly jumped out and ten minutes later returned holding enough food for two people. He smiled, putting it into Jessica's lap and closing the door as the driver hastily pulled from the curb and battled into traffic again.

"I didn't need that much…"

"Just in case you don't get out until later tomorrow if you can't eat it all right now. I know hospital food is terrible, so I wanted to make sure you would have enough." Blushing slightly, Jessica readjusted her hair clip and then unwrapped one of the sandwiches, eating it greedily. She finished it just as the driver parked the car at a different curb, in front of her apartment building. Cleaning off her hands, Tom held her bag as she got out after him. Once she stood outside, he handed it back to her.

"Thank you Tom. I appreciate your help, and the food."

"Any time, J." She grabbed him in a warm hug and hung on tightly, for a little longer than she normally would.

"Thank you." She voice to him, and he raised his eyebrows briefly before grinning broadly at her. They gave each other another, brief, hug and then Tom waved goodbye as he climbed into the car and it drove off, leaving her at the curb. Taking a breath, Jessica turned around, facing the building and walking in. She waved at the doorman, who only glanced up at her in his usual fashion, and she walked over to the stairs and worked her way up to her apartment. At her door, she fumbled with the keys for a minute before opening it up and smiling at the vacant room that greeted her. She locked the door behind her and set her food on a counter as she walked around the apartment, making sure every one of her windows were closed and locked. Satisfied, she stuck her food in the microwave, leaving it off, before going into her bathroom and turning on the shower.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged, dressed and with her hair up in her towel that was wrapped on top of her head. She had changed into her pajamas and flopped down onto her bed, drying her hair with the towel. When it was dry enough, she tossed the towel onto the floor and closed her eyes, drifting off into a much needed sleep.

Jessica woke up to her alarm which she had apparently left under her pillow from before Octavius had kidnapped her. She pulled it out and stared at the face that said "Saturday" and turned off the vibrating alarm. She stood up, stretching as the 7:30 AM train rocked past the apartment, late as usual to its next stop. Jess picked up her towel and hung it over a chair, opening her fridge and remembering the food in the microwave. She pulled it out and unwrapped it, dumping it onto a plate. She put it back into the microwave and tuned it on for a little over a minute. When it had finished warming up, she ate it slowly, not thrilled to be having a sandwich so early in the morning, but at least glad for something to eat.

Her hunger curbed, she changed into a clean shirt, a soft hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans before searching for her purse. She found it shoved under her bed and checked the contents, glad to see she still had her subway pass and enough money to buy some groceries. She quickly put her hair up into a ponytail and slung her purse over her shoulder, locking her door before running down the stairs and onto the street. She walked to the nearest entrance to the subway and slid her card through the reader as she walked into the turnstile. She ran to the train she usually took to Oscorp, barely squeezing between the doors in time for it to take off. As the train lurched, she reached out and grabbed onto a pole, using it to swing clear of the door on the rather empty train.

She regained her balance and wrapped her arm around the pole, stuffing her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt, her body swinging slightly to the rhythm of the moving train. As it sped along, Jess looked around in the dim lights, noticing people darting their eyes around the car, and all coming to land on her at some point, but avoiding her eyes. She faced the people seated near her and saw they had moved as far from her as the crammed seat would allow. Some of them were speaking to their neighbors and suddenly she caught sight of a finger pointed in her direction, the person only half attempting to be discrete. Frowning at the strange behavior, she lowered her eyes and concentrated on the floor until she felt the train slow down for the fourth time, signaling her station to get off. Jessica squeezed through the doors the second they were wide enough to permit her to get off of the train, and walked briskly to street level. Huffing, annoyed, she glanced back down the stairway.

"What was with that?" She mused as she slowed down to a light stroll, heading towards a corner store. She readjusted her purse over her shoulder and walked into the door, picking up a small basket and walking down the isles. Someone tapped her on her shoulder and she looked up. They had a notepad in their hand and were practically shoving it into her face.

"We're not opening for another hour." Was all that it said, and Jessica looked at the man holding it out at her, completely perplexed. She took the pad lightly from his hand and wrote on it.

"You're usually open at 7 until 10 PM. Changed your schedule?" The clerk shook his head yes at the pad and took Jess's basket as she handed it him and walked out the door. Frowning, she strolled down the street a little further. The whole while a nagging feeling tugged at the back of her neck and she rubbed it, feeling the spinal tap there. She couldn't help but feel infuriated at Octavius for what he'd done to her, when she passed a news stand and paused. Staring up, from the Bugle of all papers, was her own face. Quickly she turned her back to the stand and fished out some money, putting it on the counter and grabbing up a copy and walking along until she reached another subway entrance. Swiping her card again, she walked down to a tunnel and found a lonely bench.

"Hostage in League with Octopus!" The front page blazed in its thick black lettering that hurt her eyes. Flipping the paper open, she skipped to the article about her, and there, underneath the repeated title was a picture of her hugging Osborn, and his hand pulling down the back of her neckline, exposing the unit still on her. A rush of air from an approaching subway beckoned her to stand up as she folded the paper inside-out, leaving only a crossword and a miracle weight loss ad visible as she somberly boarded the train and hung onto a pole as she swayed with the car. She made sure to keep her eyes down, and waited until she was back near her own block before getting off. As she walked back to the street, she felt her stomach protest, and realized she had been out for only two hours, but still her stomach turned.

"I just need breakfast, not a sandwich." She thought as she walked into a McDonald's, the paper tucked tightly under her arm. She ordered a pancake breakfast to go, and gladly handed over the cash before turning on her heel and heading out, walking the block to her apartment. The doorman glanced up at her as she walked by him, and she felt his eyes follow her as she trudged up the stairs. She fished her keys from her purse and walked in, dumping her purse and meal on the table and then closing the door behind her. Pulling the paper open again, she looked at the large title and threw it onto the back of her couch, signing a few choice remarks about Jonah Jameson. Sighing at the futility of trying to sign to a paper, Jessica grabbed some silverware and plopped down in front of her food. She pulled off the top and worked at the pancakes slowly when something caught her eye and she turned her head slightly and looked up at her window. There was nothing there, but she could have sworn she'd seen movement. Keeping a wary eye on the pane, she shoveled pancake into her mouth. When she finished, she stood up, walking over to her garbage can and tossed the foam tray into it. As she washed her silverware, she swore she felt eyes on her back and turned around, dropping the knife and fork into the sink. Staring back at her from the window was a pair of white eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Spiderman looked straight at Jessica and then she watched as he tapped on the window pane and waved at her. She stared at him for a second and then signed at him.

"Pervert. Go stare in someone else's window. Just because you rescued me doesn't mean you can come in." She turned on her heel, keeping her back to him. She finished cleaning the silverware and turned back around as she wiped her hands. He was still there, watching her idly. She pulled out a new pad of paper and scribbled on it with a thick marker. She walked up to the window and pressed the paper against it for him to read.

"I appreciate what you did for me, but please, leave me alone." He shook his head side to side and tapped on the window, motioning for her to open it.

"No. She signed sharply at him and pulled her shade closed, throwing the room into darkness. Thankfully it was a clear shot to her light switch, but she forgot she had left her chair out, and half way to the switch she dove right over the chair, falling to the floor in a heap. Suddenly light spilled into the room and someone was tugging on her arm, trying to pull her up. Slightly blind by the quick transitions, she winced up at the hand that had grabbed onto her arm and realized it was covered in a red fabric. Frowning, she permitted Spiderman to help her up, but picked up the chair on her own and pushed it to the side. He looked around for a second and then shot out a web, snapping up the pad and marker in one try, and pulling it back to him.

"Are you okay?" He had scribbled onto the pad, in a script that almost matched hers in its messiness.

"Fine." She signed and then took the pad from him and wrote quickly. "Why were you outside my window?" He turned to look at it, and the destroyed window sill, and Jess stared at it before tossing the pad at him. "You tore open my window!" She signed and pantomimed with large sweeps of her arms as she glared at him. He tilted his head to the side and merely shrugged before handing the paper back to her.

"Word on the street is that Ock isn't too happy about losing you. I followed you here after the press conference, but I didn't see him. You should sit tight and wait out his tantrum."

"Tantrum?" Jess signed, looking worriedly at the window that now let in a rather chill breeze. Looking back down at the pad of paper in her hand, she flipped to the next page.

"I'm sure you know by now he left his experiment stuck to me. He probably wants it back, to finish it." She handed him the pad sullenly as she walked up to the window, wondering how she was going to be safe now. If Spiderman could rip it apart that easily, Octavius certainly could too, and now even that obstacle was gone. Sighing, she poked her head out of the window and looked both ways down the elevated tracks. She felt a small rush of air that she figured was the precursor to an incoming train and tucked her head back inside. She waved at Spiderman until he looked at her and she motioned for him to cover his ears. He tilted his head at her, and suddenly his hands flew to his ears as the pressure in the room changed with the close proximity of the speeding train.

"Told you." She signed as she smiled, sitting down on the couch and wrapping a blanket around her. After the train had passed he uncovered his ears and looked over at her. "I told you, but hearing people usually don't believe me when I tell them something's loud." She laughed as she stood back up, her blanket wrapped tightly around her. Walking to the window, she looked back out, watching the train move down the tracks. Spiderman tapped her shoulder and she turned around, looking at the notepad again.

"Just stay low and Ock shouldn't find you before he gets tired of looking for you." He pushed past her and looked quickly at the window sill before jotting 'sorry' on the pad and then crawling outside and up the face of the building. Jessica stuck her head out and watched him move until he was high enough to shoot a web and swing off. She looked down at the pad in her hand and then tossed it behind her before she started to work at lowering the window. She managed to close it far enough so that there was only an inch of space between the bottom of the window and the sill, but it wouldn't budge any more.

She walked around her apartment briefly before opening one of her closets and rummaging through some bags and clothes before pulling out a mini-TV and setting it on the table. Plugging it into the wall, she twisted its antenna until a fuzzy signal made its way through. Small captions filled the bottom of the screen as she flopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh, kicking her feet up and watching the TV.

_Might as well relax. I can't go to Oscorp until tomorrow anyways_.

Monday morning and Jess was on the subway again, headed back to Oscorp. This time it seemed hardly anyone had a problem standing next to her on the crowded subway as she was jostled and shoved between people until her own stop. Once she got off, she walked briskly in the chill air to the front doors of Oscorp. She walked in and only a few feet inside a vice grip clasped around her arm. She jumped, and apparently she'd also voiced loudly judging by the sudden stares that followed as the security guard herded her back outside. He pulled a letter out of an inside coat pocket and handed it to her before walking back inside. Jessica frowned and puffed out her cheeks as she tore open the envelope and read the enclosed letter.

_Dear Miss Roarn,_

_We regret to inform you that as a result of recent events, your position here at Oscorp has been temporarily suspended, pending investigation. Our reasons are as follow:_

_Access to your account from unregistered locations_

_Activity on your personal computer that contains property of Oscorp_

_Possible unintentional release of sensitive information_

_Physical and Mental harm that may have affected performance and ability to work in our demanding atmosphere_

_In the meantime you have been released from your duties as an Oscorp employee, but not our confidentiality agreement. We will notify you by mail on the outcome of the investigation and further decisions following it._

_Thank you for your cooperation._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry Osborn_

Jessica folded up the letter calmly and stuffed it back into its envelope. She unzipped her purse and shoved the envelope into it before going back down the stairs to the subway.

_Waste of fare_. She thought grumpily as she hopped onto a train and rode it to a part of the city she rarely visited. She got off again and walked into a corner store, moving around silently and getting the items she needed. The cashier took her money without a second glance and she was out of the door and back on the train shortly. The ride home was hard, trying to keep her groceries from being crushed and dropped, but she managed. At the apartment building, she struggled to get the door open but was soon inside and jogged up the stairs to her apartment. Unlocking her door, she set her bags on the table and started to unload them. As she restocked her fridge, she felt eyes on the back of her neck and then realized there was the feeling of someone speaking, a familiar vibration. She finished setting her jars down and then closed the door carefully before turning around.

"Doctor." She signed, her hands shaking. He spoke more, his voice making her apartment tremble as she backed up along her counter. He took a few steps towards her, his actuators spreading around him. "Stay away from me." She signed as she groped around the counters for anything to throw at him. Only papers covered the counter, so she slowly worked her way to the silverware drawer as he continued to get closer.

In the blink of an eye, an actuator had its claws around her neck as she threw the drawer open and grabbed out the first thing she could and stabbed at the links. Unfortunately, she'd grabbed a fork and it merely left small divots in the thick cables between the links. She took a deep breath and saw Octavius glaring darkly at her, and she clamped her mouth shut, letting the intended scream make it out of her lungs only as a breath. Looking back at the fork in her hand, she realized the prongs had been bent and dropped it back into the drawer. The actuator let go of her neck, but hovered just in front of her face as Octavius walked up to her, his eyes narrowed as he spoke again. He reached around to her back, and Jessica jumped, dashing away across the room.

"No, you're not turning it back on." She signed at him angrily and he found her pad of paper, and also the page that Spiderman had written on. Her face paled as he read it, but he seemed amused and then uncapped a marker and wrote on it. He handed it to her with an actuator.

"I see you had a visitor. No matter, I will be taking you back with me; I need to see about…" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Jess had moved so she could see what he was writing and had hit the pad in his hand and then slapped his chest and began to sign at him, narrowing her eyes.

"No, no way. I'm not going back. You've already made enough trouble. People won't let me in their stores, and Oscorp won't let me back to work. You've messed up everything enough. What more do you want!" She curled her lip at him and he rolled his eyes before dropping the notepad to the floor.

"Fine." She saw him say, or at least it looked like the word. He stood staring at her, not yelling but reprimanding her about something. When he finished she signed back at him.

"It's your fault you made it permanent! I don't care what you say; I'm not going back with you!" She crossed her arms and stood as tall as she could, glaring at Octavius. He rolled his eyes again and glared at her before an actuator wrapped around her and he moved towards the window, and opened it back up. Jessica voiced as forcefully as she could when the actuators coiled tightly around her and he pulled something out of his coat. He spoke again, but Jessica didn't need to know what he said as she stared at the syringe in his hand. She clamped her mouth shut, feeling her teeth knock against each other. A sly grin crossed the doctor's face as he pocketed the needle and he let three of his actuators carry him out of the window.

He waited patiently until a train came by and he jumped on top of it, staying low to the metal roof. Jessica shivered as the air whipped around her, with only a light sweater on the wind felt like ice. She looked back at Octavius wearing his long coat and bit her lip as she focused on the roof until she felt him lift her up and jump to another building. The jolt snapped her body around painfully but he didn't seem to notice or mind as he climbed up the building and raced across the rooftops. Jessica struggled in the actuator's grip, earning a number of dark glares from Octavius as he moved towards a dark building, boards covering the doors and windows. Having traveled across the buildings, and now in an alleyway, Jessica wasn't quite sure where she was, but she had a general idea of the area, however, if she tried to name the street, she couldn't even start guessing.

She noticed Octavius had paused near a metal door, and was pulling out a set of keys. Jess watched closely as he finally unlocked the door and she quickly came to herself and let out a hopefully loud sound as he yanked her inside. He closed the door quickly, making the room shake.

"Like I'm going without a fight." She glared at him and put up her hands as if to box with him, even though he still held her in his actuator. He raised an eyebrow at her and he visibly sighed, causing Jessica to pause as a claw handed him a notebook.

"I heard what happened, I've read the papers. I was monitoring you to see how people reacted to you after you had been through your ordeal." He showed it to her, the actuator setting her on the floor, but not taking its attention off of her. She crossed her arms as he wrote again. "I'm rather surprised and displeased they reacted so negatively to your return, I consider this experiment over. I'm going to remove the unit." Jessica looked at it and then at him, incredulous.

"Remove it! And leave me paralyzed too?" He handed the notebook to her and she translated her remark. He read it and looked confused. He underlined 'paralyzed' and wrote a question mark beside it. "The doctors said they couldn't remove it, that it was permanent." He read it again, and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Jessica barely caught the movement of his lips, but couldn't even chance a guess at what he had said as he motioned for her to walk further into the building. He stayed behind her, an actuator pointing out which way to go. They reached what had apparently been the living room area, but the TV and couch were gone. As they made their way into the lab, Jessica paused in the doorway, seeing the nearly vacant room. Only a single table filled with books, tools and a computer hastily tossed onto a nearby desk that had been pushed next to the counter. The metal table was still there, but the room was otherwise barren.

_So that's why he didn't care if I saw where we were going_ … She looked around again before continuing inside. Octavius came from behind her and walked up next to the table and patted it with his hand a couple times. Hesitantly, Jessica walked over, but did not sit up on it. He turned to the table and then took the syringe out from under his coat, checking it and also picking up a small cotton swab. He put some rubbing alcohol on it and looked over at Jessica. He set them back down and walked over to her. He grabbed her shoulders and an actuator carefully turned her unit on.

"It's a shame people can't see the value in what I do." Jessica listened to his deep voice as it rattled the nerves in her head. Octavius continued speaking, though he knew she didn't understand the sounds he made. "Osborn has no vision, no idea." Picking up the syringe and cotton ball again, he walked over, rubbing it on Jessica's arm. "This city has no ability to see the worth of what I have done to you. I've made you hear, I've done what no one ever thought possible, and now..." He looked up at Jessica's face, her eyes wide as he pressed the needle to her arm and then injected the sedative. Her arm twitched from the pinprick as her breathing quickened slightly. Setting the needle down, he helped her sit up on the cold table.

_It's a shame really. Such a promising project that people could actually benefit from._ Octavius had Jessica lay face down on the cold table as her eyelids slowly drooped, and then snapped open as she fought the sedative.

_**It was a promising project. A lack of sight by the people in this city caused the premature ending. Why don't we leave it on?**_

_Because_… Octavius checked Jessica's pulse as her lids fluttered and finally, she let out a sigh and her entire frame seemed to sink into the table. An actuator came up next to him, handing off a small set of pliers as he moved her hair out of the way, exposing the unit attached to her spine, and began his work.

Jessica's eyelids fluttered as she turned over onto her side. Her back was a little sore as she vocalized her protest to its aching. She propped her head up on one hand and carefully cracked an eye open. The first thing she noticed was that the whole room was pitch black, and the second, that she was on an actual bed.

_Where did he bring me?_ She quickly sat up, but her head started to spin and she caught herself from flopping back down onto the bed. Four red points lit up in front of her, and came closer until she could see Octavius's face, slightly illuminated. The red lights have him a tired look as he looked down at her and handed her a glass.

"Lights?" Jessica signed before tentatively taking the glass and sipping what she found was water. The red heart lights of the actuators pointed away and suddenly the room was flooded in a yellowish light. Jess closed her eyes, as she vocalized again and then slowly she adjusted, and saw, the back of her couch, and the rest of her apartment.

_Home? He brought me home?_ She looked over at him, setting her glass down on the floor and swinging her feet off the side of the bed. She stood up unsteadily, but the spinning of her head had stopped. Octavius looked over at Jessica from next to her light switch, seeming to study her with his eyes. Tottering around the room, she sat down at the table, and then her hand flew to her back, and she felt along it. Before she could even look back at him, Octavius had dropped her notepad onto the table.

"I removed the unit. You will make a full recovery as long as you keep the entry points clean." Jessica felt her own skin along her spinal column, and smiled up at Octavius.

"Thank you." She signed and he nodded. He also pointed over to the coffee table next to the couch, her duffle bag and laptop sitting on top of it. Jessica nodded and then watched as he picked up a hat from the couch, and his coat from under a blanket. He shrugged the coat on with a little difficulty, and an actuator put on his hat. He took a pair of sunglasses out, checked them, and then put them back inside an inner pocket. Octavius walked over to the broken window and pushed aside the curtain, showing it to be well into the night. He waved goodbye, and then, caught Jessica by surprise, as his hands started to make jerky, uncertain motions.

"You will be okay?" Jessica could barely make out what he was saying, but managed to understand him as she watched him standing next to the window. "Oscorp," he fingerspelled painfully slow, "should not be a problem. If they are, I will know. The experiment is not over yet. But people should leave you alone now." Jessica sat still in her chair, as Octavius lifted up her cracked window with a heave and slid out, an actuator pushing it closed. Jessica walked up to the glass, which had cracked into a spider web pattern as the actuator had closed it, and traced it carefully with her fingers, smiling.


End file.
